Ice Blocks: You Are Not Alone

What might it feel like to be trapped in a block of ice? 

Situated in the Arctic, Ice Blocks is a journey into the cryosphere, where interconnectedness is met through an interdisciplinary framework. The Arctic portrait encountered in the story is informed by scientific data that convey factual information about the environment and the ecosystem, but as a graphic novel, Ice Blocks communicates in a fantastic way. It is an invitation to examine how humans give expression to the big questions through artistic and creative means. 

Concepts of aloneness, desolation, dislocation, and alienation are explored to facilitate a study of compassion for self, for one another, and for the planet. encouraging feelings of belonging. Simply summarized, Ice Blocks is a voyage into the story of us, the humans. The lens is idiographic, concerned with the unique experiences of the individual. But the concept of "self" is addressed within the context of collective existence, appreciating relationships as one human being in a world composed of more than eight billion, entwined in culture, society, and community. 

Students stretch further in their analyses and interpretations as the novel guides and supports them through the development of their own stories.

Illustrated by Kevin Valentine Diez 
Kevin Valentine Diez is a Peruvian Chicago-based illustrator recently graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University's anthropology program. He incorporates anthropological themes and celebrates cultural diversity in his works drawing from folkloric tropes.